Evaluating and Improving Functional Driving Vision of Patients With Astigmatism

Small amounts of astigmatism are often uncorrected in contact lens wearers. The effect with respect to driving is unknown, but it could threaten safe operation of a motor vehicle, especially under conditions such as nighttime driving when visual abilities are highly challenged. This study measures driving-specific visual abilities and simulated driving performance in participants with astigmatism who either have or do not have their astigmatism corrected. The primary hypothesis is that at a tactical level, contact lenses correcting for astigmatism will result in safer driving performance overall. The secondary hypothesis is that at an operational level, contact lenses correcting for astigmatism will result in better driving-specific visual performance.